Snipers kill Shiites
The week's news at a glance.
Baghdad
Despite massive security, gunmen picked off at least 20 Shiite pilgrims and wounded 300 in Baghdad this week, during an annual religious pilgrimage. The anniversary of the 12-century death of the seventh imam is a major Shiite holiday, drawing hundreds of thousands of the faithful to the Baghdad mosque where his body lies. During the march last year, a stampede sparked by rumors of a bomb killed nearly 1,000 people. This year, U.S. and Iraqi forces set up four layers of security for crowd control and protection. Interior Ministry groups guarded the mosque, police established perimeter checkpoints, Iraqi troops roamed the streets, and U.S. helicopters watched from the air. Still, snipers hid on rooftops in Sunni neighborhoods and shot the pilgrims as they walked by.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raids
In the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classrooms
Pros and cons The devices could be major distractions